Annual Report 2002

Introduction
Looking back on the year calmly and reflectively is always an act of learning. Even when what we remember doesn’t exactly match the expectations we’d had, it is always at least a testimony and a way to learn from ourselves.

With this in mind, we have prepared this summary of our life as an institution in 2002. We tell the story not only of what has been our contribution to the communities in which we work, but also of that which is fundamental to the life of our organization: the participation of volunteers for community development.

After reviewing this report and taking a look at our future challenges, we’ve made a commitment: By the end of 2003, the results of our efforts will be even more inspiring.

A good look at our reality
For Ecuador, the year 2002 was marked by the same old problems that result from country’s implementation of the neo-liberal economic model, which imposes austerity measures that cut spending on education, health, and social programs in order to balance the budget and stabilize the currency. The problems created by this are:

• Excessive burden of external debt.
  
• The increase of importations over exportations.
• Increased poverty.
  

In the face of a severe economic crisis that began in 1998, Ecuador abandoned the “sucre” as its form of currency and began using the US dollar in January 2000 in an attempt to balance the economy and control inflation. So far the results are not very encouraging. The inflation accumulated in three years of dollarization is more than 110%; the cost of living in Ecuador is much higher than in many countries in the Americas and Europe, while the average Ecuadorian salary is a fraction of that in these places.

Although the government of our previous President, Gustavo Noboa, justified the “success” of dollarization by showing some numbers and statistics, the truth is the Ecuadorian economy is absolutely fragile and is sustained by three very unstable elements that don’t take into account the need to strengthen the country’s production of goods. The sustaining elements are:

• The sale of petroleum.
  
• The remittances from the thousands of Ecuadorians that make the sacrifice of working abroad in order to send their savings home to support their families. This allows the government to show lower unemployment rates.
  
• The income generated from investments made in the Crude Oil Pipeline (Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados- OCP), Ecuador’s second oil pipeline which is currently being built.

The Noboa administration attempted to privatize the electric companies, an effort that was not only thwarted by social movements, but was also impeded by the interests of those in positions of power, who could not decide among themselves who would acquire the companies. The government instead opted for a different strategy, that of concessioning the administration of these companies to the private sector.

According to the United Nations report “Inequality and Exclusion” (August 2002), in which the conditions of the country were evaluated, there have been some improvements in the quality of life of our population. Relative to 1960, for example, today Ecuadorians can expect to live 15 years longer, the probability of death among children in the first year of life has been reduced by half, and the number of years of formal education for adults has doubled.

Nevertheless, the majority of the population is excluded from opportunities for personal fulfillment and active participation in the construction of our society.

The inequalities are quite evident: 45% of the nation’s earned income is in the hands of 10% of the population, and the poorest 10% of the population barely earns 1% of the total income.

The causes of this inequality can be found in a narrowly concentrated structure of production that is dependent upon natural resources, a low-productivity and poor-paying labor market, and limited investment in social needs.

Another aspect to be considered is corruption. One statistic of the Commission of Civic Control and Corruption reveals that in 2002, 564 corruption claims were filed, but only 190 were accepted and are in the process of being investigated.

The most serious claims fell in the areas of: regional and local governments (20%), Department of Energy (13.7%), and Customs (11.1%), which have caused $2,000,000 in annual losses for the country.

2002 was an election year, which meant that our capacity to mobilize people in already-organized social sectors was instead channeled toward encouraging participation in the elections. So far, the election results inspire hope and doubt. It certainly is encouraging to see new figures on the political scene, some of which have backgrounds in important popular social movements, enjoy political influence and have proven their capabilities in key government posts.

The developments in the new administration have allowed for a more participatory development of the Government Plan.

But there are also doubts about our new President, Lucio Gutiérrez, as he himself does not have a strong background in popular social movements. Indeed, he was part of the popular revolt and coup attempt in January 2000, which was a reaction to dollarization, privatization and austerity measures. His participation earned him favor with the lower and middle classes of the Ecuadorian population, but President Gutierrez has yet to structure a clear plan for the country. Nevertheless, it is up to him to lay the foundation for a more just, equitable and democratic development, and it’s up to the public to stay alert.

Inspite of the lessons to be learned from the massive social uprisings in reaction to government policies and corruption, many of those in power continue to watch out for their own interests and work only to protect their own privileges, failing to understand that the Ecuador of this decade, as with other Latin American countries, can no longer postpone the defense of the lives and the rights of its people.

Now more than ever it is necessary to push for prudent, responsible, creative citizen participation processes that are ready and able to find solutions to our problems.
It is also imperative that this message be heard on the international level. It’s no longer about trying to defend the free market, it’s about defending women and men; it’s about preserving conditions for the development of our children and youth. It’s about finding cross-cultural bridges; it’s about defending those natural spaces in which our dreams and hopes lie, where we may find our enjoyment of life.

The Problems of Children and Youth
The recent economic and social crisis has deteriorated living conditions. Poverty has deepened to such a point that it’s affecting long-term possibilities for human development. Children and youth are those principally affected.

In addition to the immediate effects on the living conditions of families and youth, such as unemployment, immigration, difficulty in gaining access to schools and universities, there exists another dimension which causes damage to their development: social exclusion.

In 1999, nearly 500,000 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years of age did not attend school, revealing the difficulties in accessing the education system. This situation gravely affects the development of skills and knowledge which could serve them in the future in the work force.

• Due to the accelerated increase of poverty and unemployment, many Ecuadorians have opted to immigrate to other countries. In this country of about 13 million people, more than 300,000 people have left in recent years. Over 160,000 children and young people are without one of their parents due to their immigration to Europe or the United States. Some young people have been left as head of the household, taking care of their younger siblings.
  
• Abuse is another factor that affects youth. A study done in the capital city of Quito found that nearly 25% of pregnant teenagers had been sexually abused at some point in their life. Violence presents itself in the form of negligence, abandonment, and physical or sexual abuse, and has profound consequences on youth development and self-esteem. Abuse is a phantom that continues to generate emotional conflicts, problems with learning, low self-esteem and expulsion from the home.
  
• Violence has lead to problems in public health, which is reflected in the four principal causes of death among youth: auto accidents, fights, self-inflicted wounds and drowning. It’s striking to note that, among women, suicide is one of the principle causes of death. Various studies have shown that youth have become the principle victims of violence, but also agents of it. This phenomenon is expressed in the doubling of the number of young offenders between 1995 and 1998 to 4,291, and in the increased number of youth gangs.
  
• Drug addiction obviously affects the health of young people. In Ecuador, 28% of teenagers between 12 and 18 years old consume alcohol, and 5% consume illicit drugs, a phenomenon linked to the lack of a caring family environment (often due to immigration), low self-esteem and the absence of positive free-time activities. Drug addiction leads to a series of problems in academic performance, health problems and violence in young people.
  
• In the field of reproductive health, sexual habits have changed, and youth begin to have an active sex life at a younger age. The education and health systems, however, have not caught on to this new rhythm. In 1989, males began to have sexual relations at 15 years of age and females at 17 years of age; in 1994 the average age for both sexes had already lowered to 14.5 years of age. There is a low usage of family planning methods, resulting in pregnancy at an early age, unwanted pregnancy, and difficult labor for first-time teenage mothers. Seventeen percent of women between the ages of 15 and 19 are mothers, which seriously limits their possibilities for education and access to the work force, and causes family problems such as rejection by their parents and expulsion from the home.
  
• Children under five don’t receive care according to their evolutionary needs. Many of them are left in the charge of neighbors, grandparents, or in some cases, locked in the home alone or in the care of older siblings. Child abuse continues to be a constant social plague, and malnutrition is also a problem.

On Citizenship and Participation

• Ecuador’s indigenous people, which comprise at least a quarter of the population and mainly reside in the mountain and jungle regions, have traditionally been the most suppressed, ignored, and poverty-stricken group in the country. Over the past decade, however, they have organized and made great strides in achieving recognition for their rich, complex culture and establishing a voice in the political system. Indigenous people currently occupy important government positions, and several organizations with substantial influence work to further advance the indigenous cause.
  
• However, the indigenous movement is not the expression of what is happening in all segments of the population. On the contrary, mestizos (mixed blood), blacks, peasants and farmers of the coastal and jungle regions and others in marginalized urban areas don’t necessarily ascribe to the to the goals of the indigenous movement, nor to their politics, which are represented by the Multinational Pachacutik Movement (political party of the indigenous people of Ecuador).
  
• Especially on the coast, marginalized populations have not been able to organize and act as a singular political agent in order to advance development in their area. Regional governments have done little to meet the basic needs of the poor, and blame the centralist government structure for leaving them without the funds to carry out projects.
  
• Government decentralization has been viewed as an instrument for democratization and an opportunity for citizens to assume levels of responsibility in local development. In many cases, however, it has only succeeded in putting power in the hands of local political bosses, not in the hands of the people.
  
• The women’s movement was very active between 1995 and 2000. Women have been significantly incorporated into the political system through their participation in the electoral process and the writing of a new Constitution. Over the last two years, however, their organizational force appears to have weakened.
  
• Despite all of this, an increasing number of local governments in the Sierra (mountain region) have implemented some very interesting alternative development models, and from a very human and sustainable perspective.

Vision
“We envision citizens committed to active participation for human development, exercising their responsibilities and rights, conscious of their value as people; within this we envision youth as leaders taking action in society”.

Mission
“We push for human development processes on the local level, based on Christian principles, with emphasis on youth, through the strengthening of the YMCA movement as a whole.”

What was the YMCA’s response in 2002?
Discussion, analysis, commitment, the ability to propose ideas, are all aptitudes and attitudes that, when exercised, build a strong citizenship, a citizenship that dares to question, that dares to act, that dares to co-govern; a citizenship for women, for men, for youth and for children, because we have and can develop the power to direct our own destinies.

Beginning with its Vision and Mission, the Young Men’s Christian Association of Ecuador carries out the following programs in various cities and regions of the country:

• Active Citizenship
  
• Community Development
  
• Youth Development
  
• YMCA Tours
  
• Volunteers for Social Development

Active Citizenship
Urban Forum
This program organizes residents, women and men, youth and children, and creates spaces for them to debate, analyze, plan and execute projects according to the needs in their communities, propose solutions to their problems, and be involved in actions and decisions that affect their lives and their development.
This program also includes:

Quito

• Participation in the “Defense of Children and Adolescents Movement”, a movement comprised of institutions and organizations that serve children by running programs of the National Institute for Children and Families (INNFA).
  
• Participation and support for “Citizen Forum” (lectures, presentations, debates, open to the public) in southern Quito (the poorest part of the capital), made up of leaders and neighborhood organizations.
  
• Participation in the National Anti-ACLA Collective.
  
• Participation in “Local Youth Action Committee”, which promotes politics and policy that benefit youth within the Quito city government.
  

Portoviejo

• Leaders’ School, working with the model of the Democracy and Local Development Group (GDDL), a national network of development organizations and non-governmental agencies.
  
• Participation and technical support for the formulation of the city’s Strategic Plan. Support given in its diagnostic phase and action phase, coordinating with other institutions and city government.
  
• Execution of Urban Forums (lectures, presentations, debates, open to the public) with subject matters of local interest.
  
• Formation of two Citizen Watchdog Groups –with the endorsement of the “Civic Commission for the Fight Against Corruption” – in order to exercise citizen control over the management of the local government’s “Master Plan for the Sewage System of Portoviejo.”
  
• Support to the communities of “Mejia” in defense of their farmlands, which are threatened by the shrimp industry.
  

Santo Domingo de los Colorados

• Urban Forums (lectures, presentations, debates, open to the public) concerning local and national current events.
  
• Participation in the “Local Action Committee for the Rights of Children and Teens”, the “City Council for the Protection of Children and Teens” and the “City Health Council”.
  
• Legal and operational follow-up for the Districting Pichincha project (working to redistrict the province of Pichincha for more effective governance).
  
• Participation in associations with other local organizations .
  
• Coordination of activities with the Santo Domingo Corporation for Regional Development (CREDES).
  

Local development demands very profound and constant efforts, we must dream and project the future, we must build - among those who govern and those governed - a future of solidarity and justice, starting here, starting now.

Relationships with Local Governments
During 2002, the YMCA worked with the following municipalities:

Municipality of Quito

• Consulting services for the systematization and evaluation of the Participatory Action System, a process for citizen participation within the Quito city government.
  

Municipality of Cascales

• Assistance with the development of the City Strategic Plan.
  

Municipality of Alausí

• Execution of a project to support the City Development of Alausí.
  

Municipality of Marcabelí

• Assistance in developing the City Strategic Plan.
  

Community Development
Technical Assistance To Neighborhoods and Communities
Various Ecuadorian communities are supported by this program, which has contributed to the improvement of conditions and quality of life, beginning with the communities’ own efforts, developing their capacities to plan, act, and assume the responsibilities of managing the territory they inhabit.

Quito

• Support for eight Child Development Centers (CDC), which provide childcare and pre-school education in coordination with the National Institute for Children and Families (INNFA) in two neighborhoods in the southern part of the city.
  
• Creation of the Neighborhood Development Plan in the housing cooperative “San Blas”, in the southeast part of the city.
  
• Coordination with the Municipal Training Institute in order to deliver Citizenship and Leadership School in southern Quito.
  
• Completion of our first academic year in “George Williams” School, an alternative, low-cost elementary school in southern Quito founded in September 2001. Our teaching method, based but not restricted to the Montessori philosophy, focuses on promotion of children’s rights, cultural heritage, critical thinking and social consciousness.

Portoviejo

• Assistance in activities of the Community Development Center (CEDECO), a space for integrating neighborhood organizations in the marginalized urban sector “El Florón”.
  
• The creation of Neighborhood Development Plans in marginalized urban neighborhoods in the city.
  
• Informal preschool education through the “Our Children” Program of the Social Welfare Ministry, using the alternative teaching modalities “Growing with our Children” (CNH) and “Circles of Recreation and Learning” (CRA).
  
• Emergency support for flood victims, channeling support from OXFAM of Great Britain and International Peoples’ Committee of Italy (CISP).

Santo Domingo

• The formulation of Neighborhood Development Plans in four neighborhoods in the southeastern urban zone of Santo Domingo.
  
• Execution of the second cycle of Leadership and Citizen Participation School.
  
• Management and maintenance of San Francisco Ecological Park, a beautiful, verdant park with tropical foliage and recreational spaces, located in downtown for all families to enjoy.
  
• Informal preschool education through the “Our Children” Program of the Social Welfare Ministry, using the alternative teaching modality “Circles of Recreation and Learning” (CRA).

El Oro

• Training for the development of community credit unions.
  
• Informal preschool education through the “Our Children” Program of the Social Welfare Ministry, using the alternative teaching modality “Circles of Recreation and Learning” (CRA) in the cities of Machala, Arenillas, Guanazán, Pasaje, Huaquillas and Marcabelí).
  

Micro-credit Program
626 residents and their families in 17 urban marginalized neighborhoods in southern Quito are able to access low-interest credit for use in productive initiatives or self-employment. Most participants of this program would not normally qualify for a loan from a bank or other source. Our program gives these individuals and families a chance to establish economic independence and stability and improve their quality of life.

The credit allows entrepreneurs to open small businesses, enables artisans and artist to produce and sell their works, lets farmers to invest in livestock and small agricultural projects, and makes it possible for families to make home improvements.

In accordance with the methodology developed by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, these families are organized in solidarity circles, which promotes cooperation among participants and social responsibility. Eighty percent of the beneficiaries are women, 30% are youth.

Some indicators:
Participants: 626
Total credits granted: 388
Average amount awarded: $ 265
Total granted: $ 72.800
Pending debt: $ 67.921

Circuits of economic solidarity, where the spirit of solidarity and social justice is stressed, not the spirit of accumulation.

Let’s Save Canandé
An enriching experience
With the support of the World Environment Fund (FMAM), United Nations Program for Development (UNDP) and Small Donations Program (PPD), the YMCA of Ecuador works together with the inhabitants of the Canandé zone to promote alternative forms of defense of this tropical rain forest, located in the northwestern province of Esmeraldas.

The residents have planted tree farms and family vegetable gardens. With cooperative work efforts, a cabin and a small tourism business has been constructed for travelers interested in seeing the area’s splendid beauty.

Working with Children and Their Families
The YMCA of Ecuador, through an agreement with the “Our Children” Program of the Social Welfare Ministry (MBS), is working with children under 6 years old in eight cities in the provinces of El Oro, Manabí, and Pichincha.

Circles of Recreation and Learning (CRA)
The YMCA of Ecuador designed this teaching method based on its experience working with youth and children. In June 1999 it was one of the winners of the First National Competition of Innovative Models for Service to Preschool Children.

The modality offers an interesting process that combines education, recreation, family and community.

• CRA is a place for children to socialize and recreate. Groups of 20 children between the ages of 3 and 6 and their parents meet for 3-hour educational sessions with an instructor two days per week.
  
• Activities are supported by local youth and family members and are held in community spaces in the children’s neighborhoods.
  
• Families of the children are trained in various subjects (child development, health, abuse prevention) so that they can contribute to the development of their children beyond the classroom.
  
• Family and community are mobilized to pro-actively defend and promote children’s rights. Marches and community events are organized.
  
• The program fosters inter-generational integration.
  

From May 2001 through May 2003 the YMCA offers direct service with this modality to 3,644 children in eight cities in three provinces:
El Oro: Arenillas, Huaquillas, Machala, Marcabelí, Pasaje, y Guanazán.
Manabí: Portoviejo.
Pichincha: Santo Domingo de los Colorados.

Growing with Our Children (CNH)
The teaching method “Growing with Our Children” (CNH) was created by the National Institute for Children and Families (INNFA), and was transferred to the YMCA of Ecuador to be carried out within the “Our Children” Program.

In this modality, mothers and fathers receive weekly training in their homes on how to develop an affectionate and harmonious relationship with their children, while stimulating their growth in the areas of language, motor skills, intellect and socialization.

During this year direct service has been given to 2,643 children from 0 to 6 years old in marginalized urban sectors in the city of Portoviejo.

Child Development Centers
Through an agreement with (INNFA), the YMCA of Ecuador offers technical and administrative assistance to the eight Child Development Centers in southern Quito, which serve 286 preschool age children in the two neighborhoods in Quito.

In addition to providing childcare, the centers also offer training for parents on subject matters concerning children.

Youth Development
Youth are the vital force for the continuity of life. They’re not the synonym of danger and violence, as they are sometimes depicted. The young people that participate in the programs of the YMCA are training to be active and responsible citizens, leaders of society, committed to their neighborhoods, to their groups, to their cities, putting forth among the public subjects and opinions that penetrate our society’s deafness.

For the YMCA, it is very important to work with youth on both an individual and social level.

On the individual level, that means working to develop their personal and leadership skills. Therefore the Y creates permanent spaces for formation and training, focusing on topics like self-esteem, identity, and personal relations.

On the social level, youth also receive education in current events, national and international politics, and topics particular to Latin America, such as citizenship and participation.
But the practical experience is the most important service the YMCA offers youth. On a regular basis, Y youth hold massive public events, with cultural and educational components, in which they express themselves, learn, teach, discuss various subjects, and propose ideas.

The Y also offers experience in group work, including participation in citizen watchdog groups, study groups, and youth group networks.

It’s also important that YMCA youth interact with people outside of the Y, that they have the opportunity to participate in stimulating settings with adults, and that they participate in mass media. To this end, the YMCA of Ecuador has negotiated space in newspapers and local radios, in which youth express themselves and channel their ideas and concerns.
The activities offered at the YMCA have the purpose of fostering certain values in our youth, so they may be:

Analytical: We encourage them to take a critical position with respect to what happens in their neighborhood, their city, their country, and hope that they will be deeply affected by corruption and the poor management of power by the dominating classes.

Protagonists: We want them not only become familiar with and reflect upon social problems, but also to assume behaviors to transform these realities, on a personal level as well as on a family and social level.

Gender conscious: We hope they will establish equitable gender relationships and promote the construction of a more equitable world in regard to gender, a world without oppression.

Tolerant: We teach them to respect and have a high level of tolerance for people of different cultures, religions and political beliefs.

Creative: We help them discover their own creativity and abilities, encouraging expression in different mediums: language, drama, plastic arts and music.

Democratic: We foster a culture of fraternal dialogue, teach youth to motivate participation among their peers and promote consensus in the groups in which they are involved.

ACTIONS
Quito

• Remodeling of the “Youth House”.
  The Youth House in southern Quito is a physical space open to young people, in whose administration they participate. The House offers:
  Art workshops: dancing, drawing, sculpture, miming, clowning, and more.
  Recreation hall: a free space for socializing and various games.
  Center for documentation and video: Full of books and videos on various subjects, here youth create communication products like radio programs, videos and bulletins.
  Theater: This space has become a community cultural center, where young people produce small plays and present them to the public.
  
• Our Local Youth Action Committee develops political proposals for the Quito city government.
  
• Youth Citizen Participation in different local activities.
  
• In an agreement with the Peralt Foundation and the Ministry of Education, we train high school students in areas such as participation, citizenship, self-esteem, and sexuality. They may participate in these trainings for credit toward graduation.

Portoviejo

• Support to neighborhood youth groups.
  
• Participation in local youth networks.
  
• Establishment of and participation in Youth Anti-Corruption Network.
  
• Represent youth on the Municipal Board.

Santo Domingo
Watchdogs of the 2002 election process in conjunction with the organization “Citizen Participation”.
Creating spaces to integrate youth for work in such areas as:

• Ecology
  
• Communication
  
• Culture
  
• Citizen Participation
  
• Promotion of non-violence and conscientious objection to obligatory military service movements.

YMCA Tours
With the desire to generate an alternative source of income, the YMCA of Ecuador created YMCA Tours, a company offering social eco-tourism services to other associations and groups interested in getting to know not only the natural beauty of the jungle, mountains, volcanoes, and beaches of our country, but also the richness and diversity of our people, our problems, our dreams, our way of life.

In 2002, YMCA Tours not only laid the foundation for its future, but also delivered its first tourist packages, which left our clients completely satisfied.

Volunteers for Development
Since 1959, the work of volunteers for development has been the backbone of the YMCA of Ecuador.

Dedicated to their communities and the country, in 2002 men and women volunteers committed themselves to institutional work on various levels.

• In our daily work in neighborhoods, in leadership trainings, promoting citizen participation, and supporting community initiatives.
  
• Assistance to the technical team, according to the expertise of each volunteer.
  Volunteers with backgrounds in sociology, teaching, architecture, accounting, medicine, communication, community development, engineering, and computers have offered their guidance in order to strengthen the sensitive and complicated work of the YMCA.
  
• The work of volunteers for development has not only been the product of hearts sensitive to the difficulties of others, but also of hearts willing to commit their life to help our movement grow. By helping, the heart itself also grows.

Our Serving Area

The YMCA is a worldwide Christian, ecumenical, volunteer movement for women and men, with genuine youth participation, that shares the Christian ideal of constructing a just human community of love, peace and reconciliation, with the goal of achieving fulfillment for all creation. The YMCA is present in 120 countries worldwide. Its members make up the World Alliance of YMCA’s, an international organization with consultant status on the Social and Economic Council of the United Nations.

Participation on National Board	Participation on the Professional Team

2002 Financial Information

Expenses $1,376,000 Includes technical and administrative personnel, logistics and operations, technical follow-up, equipment and program costs.	Income $1,330,000 Eighty-three percent of the total income is from local sources: rent, sale of services, and third party contributions. Seventeen percent is from international sources: support from partner YMCA’s and other cooperating entities (grants and donations).
Cost by program Active Citizenship: includes workshops, forums, citizen participation. Community Development: neighborhood activities, community events, trainings. “Our Children” Program: service in the alternative teaching methods CRA and CNH. Youth: youth activities, Youth House, forums, workshops, trainings. Movement: Activities with volunteers, assemblies, trainings. Child Development Centers: service to children 0 to 5 years of age.	Budget Growth In 1998 and 1999 the budget was in ”sucres”, but is represented here in dollars. The growth in the last five years was 295% with respect to the base year 1998. Last year growth was 46%.

Challenging Ourselves
After 43 years of life as an institution, the real, inevitable question is for the YMCA is:

How can we improve our contribution to the construction of a society of life, love, justice, and solidarity?

We’ve proposed:

• To work intensely to strengthen our internal unity, our professional quality, our communication levels.
  
• To work under a more flexible organizational structure that permits more mutual learning; to develop our spirit of cooperation.
  
• To be more demanding in the completion and development of projects, always fine tuning our methodologies and developing our concepts.
  
• To be more daring in setting goals and challenges for ourselves. Social and political problems demand timely action, better coverage, and a stronger connection to the reality of our population.
  
• To look for all possible alliances with those who, like us, continue to persist and work for their dreams.
  

Our Partners

• Social Welfare Ministry:
  “Our Children” Program (MBS-BID)
  Integral Development Project (PRODEIN)
  
• National Institute of Children and Families (INNFA)
  
• Inter-American Development Bank (BID)
  
• YMCA Women’s Group
  
• Y´s Men International
  International Partners
  
• YMCA of Zaragoza, Spain
  
• YMCA of Montreal, Canada
  
• YMCA of Germany
  
• HorYzon of Switzerland
  International Supporters
  
• World Environment Fund (FMAM)
  
• United Nations Program for Development (UNDP)
  
• Small Donations Program (PPD)
  
• EED, Germany
  
• Kellogg’s Foundation, USA
  
• Oxfam of Great Britain
  We’re members of:
  
• World Alliance of YMCA’s
  
• Inter-American Democracy Network (RID)
  
• Adult Education Council of Latin America (CEAAL)
  
• Democracy and Local Development Group (GDDL)